Rising dark fleet activity observed off Malaysian waters: UANI

Non-profit organisation United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) has observed the doubling numbers of dark fleet passing off the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia.

“Business is booming for the dark fleet market,” said UANI shipping senior advisor Charlie Brown, as quoted by the Seatrade Maritime.

Brown reported that 60 ships carrying oil from Iran, 30 Russian cargo vessels, and 20 from Venezuela, have been found waiting for ship-to-ship (STS) transfers.

Brown highlighted that STS pairs have doubled recently, from five to seven a year ago, to 13 to 15 in the recent weeks.

The shipping senior advisor monitored the STS transfers around the exclusive economic zone of Peninsula Malaysia’s east coast, with the use of Automatic Identification System and satellite imagery.

Moreover, after cross-referencing the names of 25 sampled vessels – with the use of maritime intelligence firm Pole Star Global’s database – 24 of the 25 vessels were found to be on sanction lists.

Meanwhile, 14 of them were either using a false flag or had an unclear country of registration. There was also an incident where a vessel’s name was incorrect.

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Risks of dark fleets

The rising numbers happened despite the actions of the United States, European Union and the United Kingdom against sanctioned ships.

As most activities conducted under suspicious means usually involve old vessels with poor maintenance, risks and accidents pose danger, as well as the possibility of oil spill and improper emissions.

In addition, vessels without proper country registration most likely do not possess insurance to be under international environmental agreements.

Call for action

Brown has called for Malaysia to take an action, as illegally anchored vessels of the country’s were being detained, adding that the EEZ of East Coast was being taken lightly.

Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, in 2025, expressed the commitment of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in tracking illegal STS operations.

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